The Perfect Color

/ Ally Bean

We’re in the process of redecorating our home.  Instead of the original color scheme of drab taupe/pinkish-beige walls, we’re changing the color scheme to relaxing golden/sandy/khaki colors.

As you can imagine, this project has made me just a bit crazy.  I’m obsessed with choosing the perfect new color for each room.  So we paint large splotches of a potential color on all four walls in the room we’re working on, and then I look at the color in different light for a few days until I decide what I want.

But on Saturday morning I was indecisive.  So very early Saturday morning, before it was light out, I got Zen-Den to paint one more splotch of the potential color on a wall.  I figured that I’d get dressed, the sun would come out, and then I’d give this color one more look-see.

To decide for sure.

Well, as usual, Zen-Den got dressed much more quickly than I did.  And, as usual, he was standing around in the foyer waiting for me to get ready.  He had no idea that I’d stopped for one last glance at our color-to-be, so he shouted upstairs and asked me what I was doing.

To which I answered without one ounce of irony: “I’m watching paint dry.”

Because I was.  Darn it.

Instantly, from below in the foyer I heard Zen-Den burst out laughing.  He realized that I hadn’t a clue what I’d just said– and he could barely contain himself waiting for me to realize what I’d just said.

Eventually I realized what I’d said and started laughing at myself… which made Zen-Den laugh even more about what I’d just said.

And continue to laugh… all the way to the paint store.  Where I’m happy to report that the one of us who wasn’t laughing like a nut purchased the perfect color of paint for our bedroom walls.

So there.  HA!

11 thoughts on “The Perfect Color”

  1. when we painted our kitchen the first time at the old house, we had no less than 11 different test cans of paint. the woman at the paint store thought we were insane. but it had to be the EXACT color of the sahara in morocco on a fine summer day in 1998. and that took 11 tries.

    Like

  2. julochka, you have given me my laugh of the day. Thanks. I understand your process and I congratulate you on following through until you found the perfect shade for your kitchen. 🙂

    Like

  3. Oh, choosing paint is a surefire way to induce the crazies. Jason spent all of last week painting our playroom and office, and although I would have liked to throw a burst of color on the walls, the carpets are orange and turquoise (hello, 1970. nice to meet you) and so the walls are off-white. Neutral paint was cheaper than new carpet 🙂
    Glad you found the perfect shade. That is a fabulous feeling!

    Like

  4. I would love to see what colors you’ve picked. I’m totally indecisive about paint colors. That’s why we still have mostly original paint in our 14 year old house. Eek.

    Like

  5. Stephanie, orange and turquoise? Oh my. I’m glad you went with a neutral paint.

    Margaret, I’ll do a post about all the colors we’ve used in this house when we make the final decision about the color in the last bedroom.

    I understand about being indecisive. I’m a big fan of those little testers. They’ve helped us to make sense of colors– and how the color actually look on the walls. The testers are a good way to gage what you’re getting before you commit to a whole room.

    Like

  6. I’ve learned the hard way that the color on a sample paint chip is not anything like the color on your walls -even if you take the chip outside to look at it. I admire your tenacity in picking just the right color for you walls.

    Like

  7. la p, thanks. I wonder about those paint chips, too. On what planet do they represent the actual color that shows up on your wall here on Earth? There’s something very suspect about all of those paint chips– regardless of brand.

    Like

  8. Whenever we decide to paint, I go to the store and get as many paint chips of the colors I’m interested in to bring home. I then tape them together in one big section. This way I can move the big piece anywhere I want to check out the lighting. I’m sure whatever you do, it will look great.

    Like

Comments are closed.